Published: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 10:54 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 10:54 p.m.

Many charter boat captains saw fewer customers as a result of the spill, but they say the recovery has arrived — for now.

Marty LaCoste, of Absolute Fishing Charters in Dularge, said this is the best year he's ever had.

The bulk of his customers come from out of state, he said, which is different, but welcome.

“I'm getting people from New York, Boston, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, California, Ohio — you name it.”

Mike Ledet, of Mike Ledet Charter Service in Chauvin, said it's been his busiest season in five years and, like LaCoste, most of his customers have come from out of state.

Charter fishermen are beginning to see the payoff from advertising campaigns focused on promoting Terrebonne as the Salt Water Fishing Capital of the World, said Sharon Alford, director of the Houma-Terrebonne Visitors Bureau.

Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes received more than $2 million each from BP as a result of the oil spill with much of the money going to tourism advertising.

In addition to using the money to advertise fishing, local festivals and the new Terrebonne branding received a monetary boost from the BP money, Alford said.

Overall, preliminary numbers show tourism is up through the first part of this year in Terrebonne, Alford said.

Terrebonne Parish, the Louisiana Charter Boat Association and the Louisiana Tourism and Coastal Coalition have also tried to be effective in promoting Louisiana's coast.

Soon, Alford wants to hang banners around Cocodrie using the town's $3,500 cash prize to promote it being named the Southeast regional winner in the World Fishing Network's Ultimate Fishing Town Contest.

Additionally, Cocodrie and Dularge will be featured this July in the World Fishing Network's new series, “Guided with Mark Melnyk,” as part of the bureau's 2013 marketing efforts.

“We have the opportunity to tell people across the country about the fishing in Terrebonne,” Alford said.

Alford said the bureau has also brought eight new fishing tournaments to the area, and the bureau's television budget is $325,000 this year — the largest it's ever been.

“And that has to promote not only fishing, but our overall parish as well,” Alford said.

Alford said the bureau can even trace direct bookings based off particular shows where the commercials run.

While all this new advertising is welcome, Daryl Carpenter, president of the Louisiana Charter Boat Association and captain of Reel Screamers Guide Service, is concerned about what will happen when advertisement revenues dry up.

“The issue now is the fishing promotion is entering a lag period,” he said. “Yeah, we are starting to see that return, but without additional funding from BP, we are left with a lag period where there is nothing to pick it up.”

Approved during the recent state legislative session was a bill to increase fees for certain charter boat fishing licenses from $5 to $10. Additionally, out-of-state charter licenses will increase by $500.

The revenue generated will be used in marketing and promotion efforts overseen by the Louisiana Charter Boat Association.

According to an analysis by the Legislative Fiscal Office, the measure will raise about $1 million over the next five years.

Though Carpenter agrees with the legislation, he questions whether that money is going to come soon enough.

“We'll sit out a year because that money comes posthumously,” he said. “There will be a void of a year where we will lose that momentum, and we'll lose the contact and the goodwill that we had with some of the advertising outlets.”

Promoting Gulf Coast fishing not only benefits charter fishermen, it's an economic driver for everyone because visitors sleep in hotels and eat out among other things, Carpenter said.

<p>Local boat captains say charter fishing is showing signs of improvement after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill. </p><p>Many charter boat captains saw fewer customers as a result of the spill, but they say the recovery has arrived — for now. </p><p>Marty LaCoste, of Absolute Fishing Charters in Dularge, said this is the best year he's ever had. </p><p>The bulk of his customers come from out of state, he said, which is different, but welcome. </p><p>“I'm getting people from New York, Boston, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, California, Ohio — you name it.” </p><p>Mike Ledet, of Mike Ledet Charter Service in Chauvin, said it's been his busiest season in five years and, like LaCoste, most of his customers have come from out of state. </p><p>Charter fishermen are beginning to see the payoff from advertising campaigns focused on promoting Terrebonne as the Salt Water Fishing Capital of the World, said Sharon Alford, director of the Houma-Terrebonne Visitors Bureau.</p><p>Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes received more than $2 million each from BP as a result of the oil spill with much of the money going to tourism advertising.</p><p>In addition to using the money to advertise fishing, local festivals and the new Terrebonne branding received a monetary boost from the BP money, Alford said.</p><p>Overall, preliminary numbers show tourism is up through the first part of this year in Terrebonne, Alford said. </p><p>Terrebonne Parish, the Louisiana Charter Boat Association and the Louisiana Tourism and Coastal Coalition have also tried to be effective in promoting Louisiana's coast. </p><p>Soon, Alford wants to hang banners around Cocodrie using the town's $3,500 cash prize to promote it being named the Southeast regional winner in the World Fishing Network's Ultimate Fishing Town Contest. </p><p>Additionally, Cocodrie and Dularge will be featured this July in the World Fishing Network's new series, “Guided with Mark Melnyk,” as part of the bureau's 2013 marketing efforts.</p><p>“We have the opportunity to tell people across the country about the fishing in Terrebonne,” Alford said. </p><p>Alford said the bureau has also brought eight new fishing tournaments to the area, and the bureau's television budget is $325,000 this year — the largest it's ever been. </p><p>“And that has to promote not only fishing, but our overall parish as well,” Alford said. </p><p>Alford said the bureau can even trace direct bookings based off particular shows where the commercials run. </p><p>While all this new advertising is welcome, Daryl Carpenter, president of the Louisiana Charter Boat Association and captain of Reel Screamers Guide Service, is concerned about what will happen when advertisement revenues dry up. </p><p>“The issue now is the fishing promotion is entering a lag period,” he said. “Yeah, we are starting to see that return, but without additional funding from BP, we are left with a lag period where there is nothing to pick it up.” </p><p>Approved during the recent state legislative session was a bill to increase fees for certain charter boat fishing licenses from $5 to $10. Additionally, out-of-state charter licenses will increase by $500. </p><p>The revenue generated will be used in marketing and promotion efforts overseen by the Louisiana Charter Boat Association. </p><p>According to an analysis by the Legislative Fiscal Office, the measure will raise about $1 million over the next five years.</p><p>Though Carpenter agrees with the legislation, he questions whether that money is going to come soon enough. </p><p>“We'll sit out a year because that money comes posthumously,” he said. “There will be a void of a year where we will lose that momentum, and we'll lose the contact and the goodwill that we had with some of the advertising outlets.” </p><p>Promoting Gulf Coast fishing not only benefits charter fishermen, it's an economic driver for everyone because visitors sleep in hotels and eat out among other things, Carpenter said.</p>